AS205 Viridae
by Star24
Summary: A deadly disease has come to Seattle, and Max and Logan may be the only ones who can stop it. At the same time the Jam Pony messengers have to deal with troubles of their own. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

**AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  **

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

**AN: _This is Part 5 of Alternate Season 2. Previously, Max and Logan have been confronted with ghosts from their pasts, forcing them to look into their own inner darkness. Knowing what they now do about each other, will it be possible for them to go on together?  As they struggle with their personal demons, __Seattle_ is once again faced with a crisis.  A deadly disease has come to town, and Max and Logan may be the only ones who can stop it.  At the same time the Jam Pony messengers have to deal with troubles of their own.__**

****

**Seattle****, The Space Needle:  Just Before Dawn**

No stars were showing and a chill rain was falling.  The lights down below were blurred by the mist of the rain, as the small figure stood on the Space Needle gazing out over the city below.

_So what is it with me and Logan? Every time it seems like things are starting to get on some kind of track, life manages to toss another curve ball our way.  This thing with his ex gf has really thrown him. Makes me wonder how I'd feel if instead of being dead, Ben was locked back up in Manticore. At least this way I can tell myself that he's with the Blue Lady in his good place. __Logan__ can't even do that. He won't talk about it, says he's dealin', but I can see it in his eyes, eating away at him. I don't know if it's her, or the thought that he might have had a kid, that's hurting him more.  _

_OC says I need to be patient with him, but patience isn't my strong point. If I had a clue what to do I'd probably just do it, no matter what OC says. Thing is that I don't. Know what to do. Other than goin' over there and trying to make like things are back to normal. When we both know that they aren't. Maybe they never will be. Maybe too many things have happened, and we won't ever get past them.  Sometimes I wish I could go back to not caring. It was easier. But it's too late for that. So for now I guess I'll just keep on keepin' on, one day at a time…_

****

**Streets of ****Seattle****, Mid Morning**

The bike messenger was in a hurry. She took the corner fast and then yanked her handlebars hard to the left, sending the bike careening into an alley. It was one of many short cuts that the local messengers used to speed their runs around the city. The alley was dank and odorous. Garbage spilled out of overflowing dumpsters and a couple of drunks snored away in back doorways, covered with old newspapers they were using as blankets. Scrawny cats foraged in the garbage looking for sustenance. The messenger was used to it all, and didn't give any of it a second glance as she pushed her bike on its way.

She was halfway through the alley when she saw a door opening ahead of her. She ignored it, assuming that it was just some shopkeeper bringing out their trash. But then she stood on her brakes bringing her bike to a screaming halt. Two huge men had emerged from the door and stood in front of her. She glanced behind and saw that two more had come out of another door and blocked her way back.

"Morning, fellas." She tried to brazen it out. She raised a hand and nervously pushed her short blonde bangs off of her face.

"Get off the bike," one of them grunted in reply.

The girl just stood there, straddling her bike and staring at them. The man who had spoken nodded, and at his signal the two of the others advanced on her. 

"Hey." She protested as one of them roughly pulled her away from her bike. She struggled uselessly as the second ripped her backpack off of her back. "Those aren't mine. I'm just a messenger," she tried as he began to pull out her deliveries.

"Shut up, bitch." One of them slapped her hard, across the face. She tasted blood and her head seemed to spin from the force of the blow. Before she had a chance to recover, he punched her hard in the stomach and she doubled over in pain, falling to her knees on the filthy ground. She retched, dimly aware of them throwing the empty backpack down next to her. Rough hands grabbed her hair and pulled her head back so that she was looking up at the leader. 

"This is a message to you and your friends at Jam Pony. You losers think you're too good to join the Guild. This is just a taste of what's gonna happen if you don't see the light. Take that back to your peeps there."  He drew his foot back and kicked her in the stomach several times. She cried out in pain and collapsed onto the ground as soon as the grip on her hair was released. 

"You want us to rough her up some more?" she heard one of the others asking as she lay there. Her body was engulfed in a red haze of pain, and she wondered vaguely if the kicks had ruptured some vital organ inside of her.

"Nah. She needs to be alive to get the message back to them. Take care of the wheels though."

Her brain screamed in protest as she heard the sound of metal being bent and wrenched. Her bike was her livelihood and she knew she couldn't afford another. But she couldn't muster the strength to do more than lie on the ground, as tears of pain and fear seeped from her eyes. 

Then one of them was leaning over and whispering in her ear. "Next time you and me are gonna have some different kinds of fun. You ain't half bad lookin'." She shivered as she felt rough hands run over her breasts and butt as she lay there, helpless.  Mercifully, blackness took over and she slipped into unconsciousness, a small battered heap lying in the middle of the alley, next to the twisted remnants of her bike.  The alley was quiet until a soft beeping began to sound. Her pager was going off. She lay there unresponsive, as it echoed eerily in the alleyway.

**Metro****Medical****Center******

Doctor Beverly Shankar straightened from the patient she had been examining. She ran a hand absently through her hair, and turned to her colleague.

"How many of these have you had so far?" There was a definite concern evident in her tone.

"He's the third one this week." The other doctor, a harried looking middle aged man with thinning gray hair, told her.

"Why did you call me in on this? I usually just examine the dead ones."

"I hear tell your specialty was in tropical medicine back in the day. With the personnel shortage these days, we don't have anyone on staff with that kind of expertise anymore."

Shankar nodded grimly. "This reminds me of something. Something bad. But I'm going to need to do a lot more tests to be sure. Can you get me…" The two doctors left the room as she began detailing her list to her companion

Behind them a young man lay gasping for breath on the bed. His skin was a sickly, grayish color and it was covered with lesions, and slick from sweat. A nurse entered the room and administered a shot. She checked his vitals and noted them on the chart and hung a new IV bag.  She slipped out quietly as he tossed and turned restlessly in the bed, unaware of his surroundings.

**End of Prologue**


	2. Chapter One

**AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  **

**Disclaimer_: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24.__**

**______________________________________________**

**Chapter One**

**Jam Pony**

When Max walked into Jam Pony after finishing up her morning runs she found it strangely subdued. Small groups of messengers were gathered in clumps talking quietly.  Surprisingly enough Normal wasn't screaming at them to "bip bip bip".

"Who died?" she said flippantly as she walked up to where Original Cindy was standing next to Sketchy and Druid.  

Original Cindy looked at her with a somber face. "Nobody…yet."

"Hey, I was only kidding…what happened?" Max instantly sobered.

"Blue's in the hospital. We think she's gonna make it, but she's in bad shape." Druid informed her.

"Why? What went down?" Max thought about the petite blonde messenger. She was small and cute and sported a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder, along with a smart ass attitude that rivaled Max's own.

"A messenger from Steel Wheels found her in an alley. The one off of Prospect. She was beat up pretty bad and her bike was trashed." 

"Kind of off the turf for the gang bangers." Max observed with a frown.

"It weren't no gang bangers, boo. Blue told the guy who found her that it was the Guild. Sendin' a message to Jam Pony." Original Cindy said.

"What in hell is the Guild?" Max wanted to know.

The three others looked at her in surprise that she didn't know. Cindy hastened to fill her in. "Oh right. You been away. 'Bout two months ago these pieces of beef started showin' up outside messenger services. Invitin' the messengers to join the Guild. S'posed to be an organization to promote the welfare of Seattle's bike messengers. Truth is the only welfare they're promotin' is their own. Messengers who don't pay their so called dues seem to turn up hurt more often than not."

"They started out mostly down near Clemson but lately they've been movin' in this direction. Coupla them hung out here a few weeks back but some of the guys chased 'em off." Sketchy chimed in.

"So they beat up Blue today to send a message to the rest of the Jam Pony crew?" Max mused. "What's Normal have to say about it all?"

"Not much. But it ain't his butt in the line of fire." Original Cindy shot a look of disgust at Normal. "Best you can say for him is he ain't pushin' no one out that door right now. And I did hear him on the phone to Seattle's finest. Like that's gonna do any good."

Max gave Original Cindy a level stare. "Maybe I have some ideas. I might have a friend who could help us out with this."

Original Cindy met her look and nodded slowly, "I kinda thought you might say that. But this ain't gonna be easy. These guys play hit and run. It won't be a piece of cake to track 'em down."

"Let me see what my friend has to say about that." Max smiled. "In the meantime what are we doin' about safety on our runs?"

"We all told Normal that we ain't goin' out on no solo runs right now. It's the buddy system or nothing. He's bitchin' but he knows if he don't go along with it he won't have no packages at all bein' delivered."  

Sketchy and Druid nodded in agreement with Cindy's words.

Max smiled at Original Cindy. "Well then, I got your back girlfriend."

"Never doubted it for a minute. You ready to eat some lunch?"

"How'd you guess that I'm starving?"

**Fogle Towers, that evening**

"…so she's in the hospital. They beat her up pretty bad. Trashed her bike as well. I think she's more upset about that than about her injuries. Without a bike it's kind of hard to do the messenger thing." Max finished telling Logan about what had happened to Blue, pacing restlessly across his living room as she did so.

Logan sat there lost in thought. "So you say these guys started showing up at Seattle bike messenger services a while back, and moved on to Jam Pony a few weeks ago?"

"According to what the gang told me today. Do you think you can get a line on them?"

"I'm going to try. It might be hard because street gangs don't tend to rely too much on on-line communication methods."

"I hear you." Max looked disconsolate as she flopped down onto Logan's couch.

"I didn't say it couldn't be done. Just that it's going to take some digging. If money is what they're about, there's a chance there's a money trail. Especially if the head guys are more than just some street toughs. Let's hope that's the case."

Max was silent for a moment. "Thanks Logan. I appreciate it."

He watched her for a minute and then got up from the chair he was sitting in and went to sit next to her. He dropped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed them briefly. "No problem. Blue's a particular friend of yours?"

Max answered slowly, "I can't say that she has been in the past. But she's a straight up kid, and seeing her lying there in that hospital bed..." She hesitated, then went on, "I guess I was thinking that if I'd been paying more attention lately to what's been going down around JP, maybe I could have prevented it." She let out a short, harsh laugh. "Seems like I've been hangin' around a certain do-gooder too much. That save the world mentality seems to have rubbed off." Max relaxed into his shoulder, letting his presence soothe her tangled feelings.

"Not to mention hospitals and doctors don't exactly bring back the most pleasant memories?" he stated astutely.

"Yeah." Max sighed.

"I've been dealing with some of that stuff lately myself," he said softly.

Max looked up at him and their eyes locked as understanding flowed between them. "It isn't easy is it?" she said.

"No, it isn't."

"So how do you get past it?"

They weren't talking about Blue anymore and both of them knew it.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." He shrugged.

"Let me know when you have the answer."

"Believe me, Max, you'll be the first to know." 

She smiled at him. "Good thing we found each other, huh? I mean who else would put up with us?"

Logan smiled back, the first genuine smile she'd gotten from him in days. "You have a point." 

Before Max could respond, Logan frowned at something that caught his eye on the monitor he had set up to show the local newscasts. He reached for the remote and raised the volume so that the sound reached them from the computer room.

**_"…several more patients have been admitted today to Metro Medical, all suffering from the same symptoms. Doctors have now identified the mysterious fever as a rare viral illness known as Zycinor. This illness is not known to occur naturally. In fact, its origins rest in bio-warfare work done in the late twentieth century and early years of this century. Authorities are at a loss to explain its emergence at this time. Citizens are urged to report any of the following symptoms to their medical professionals immediately…"_**

The reporter droned on as a list of symptoms appeared on the screen. Logan glanced over at Max. She sat there frozen, her face white. 

"Max? What is it?" he asked, concerned.

"Zycinor.  Manticore was testing that when I was there as a child. As a bio-weapon. They have it."

"You think Manticore is behind this?" he asked her.

"I don't know. But we have to find out. That stuff could kill every man, woman and child in Seattle."

**End of Chapter One**


	3. Chapter Two

**AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  **

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

**Chapter Two**

**Manticore, Donald Lydecker's Office, **

"What do you mean that the files on the Rogue X5s have been hacked?" Donald Lydecker's voice was icy as he stared across his desk at Lieutenant Cardoso.

The Lieutenant met his stare levelly. "I was running a routine check on your confidential files as you requested that I do every day. Everything checked out except for the progress files on the Rogues. An anomaly showed up on the system for the current file."

"Said anomaly being?" Lydecker asked his eyes boring holes into Cardoso.

"The file save date on the current file was today's date. Unless you've been updating the files, that means that someone else was into it and accidentally hit the save command when they exited. My sweep program picked up the date discrepancy since I had instructed it that the latest save date shouldn't be greater than two days ago."

"I haven't accessed the files in the last two days. And you and I are the only ones who are supposed to be able to access the files." Lydecker was thoughtful, "Who got into them? Was it an outside hacker? Our friend from Seattle?"

"No sir. It was done from a terminal here on base. One in the bio-warfare section."

"Who?"

"I'm working on that, sir." 

"Work faster. I want to know five minutes ago, who on this base got into my files and now knows that there's a Rogue X5 very possibly loose in Seattle."

"Yes sir. Permission to leave to carry out your orders?"

"Granted." Lydecker called after Cardoso's departing back. "I want that answer, and I want it fast. And I want to know how someone got into that file."  

**Manticore, Medical Residences**

The small house showed no glimmer of light to disturb the night.  For all intents and purposes it appeared that its occupants were bedded down for the night.  Inside, a stoop shouldered, gray haired man sat at a laptop computer studying a file. Next to him sat a small suitcase filled with clothing and ready to be closed. A medical bag was next to it. He was dressed all in black and a pair of black gloves sat next to the suitcase. His face was covered with the blackening used by soldiers to keep their skin from betraying them when on night missions in enemy territory.

"So Donald, you've been keeping secrets from everyone, have you." He muttered to himself as he perused the screen. "You should have known that you couldn't keep them from me. I've known you and your tricks for too many years now. One of your Rogues is loose in Seattle and you've known about it all along." He let out a chuckle that echoed eerily in the small house. "The perfect setup for me. Yes, indeed, what I've been waiting and looking for, for a long time."  He glanced over at a file labeled _Adrianna Vertes that sat on top of the clothes in the suitcase. "She must be the same one that Adrianna ran into there." He flipped open the file. The top sheet appeared to be a copy of a medical notes page. It was headed __Logan Cale. He took the file and placed in the empty fireplace. Then he lit a match and held it to the edge of the file. Once it started to burn he turned his back on it._

He closed the laptop and placed it into the suitcase which he zipped closed.  Then he picked up the suitcase and the medical bag and walked to the back door of the house.  He opened it and peered outside, but it was quiet. The house bordered onto woods which were black and lightless on this moonless night. The man slipped down the steps and merged into the blackness, one more shadow among many, as he slipped through the trees on a path long memorized. 

**Fogle****Towers******

"What do you know about this agent, Max? Zycinor? " Logan asked her as the news switched to a story about black market food rings.

Max stared at him blankly as images flashed in front of her.

_…It was early in the day, just after morning mess, and the X5s had been called to the parade ground. They stood there at attention, in formation, staring straight ahead. Their drill instructors stood off to the side, watching them closely for any signs of motion. Max steeled herself into immobility, despite the cold that cut through the thin camouflage pants and shirt she wore._

_They stood there in the cold, waiting, for twenty minutes. A door to the buildings opened and Colonel Lydecker walked out accompanied by another man.  The Colonel walked back and forth checking the lines and posture of the children. Finally he stopped and nodded to one of the drill instructors. _

_"At ease."__ The DI barked out and the children all shifted into at ease in perfect unison._

_"There they are, Doctor." Lydecker said to his companion. "How many do you need?"_

_"Four will do as a start. Two males and two females."_

_Lydecker stared at the children. Then he stepped forward and touched two males on the shoulders.  "These two." He spoke as if the children weren't even there. As if they couldn't hear what he said.  He glanced around and his gaze fell on Max. He started toward her and she held her breath. Whatever was going on, she was sure it wasn't a good thing. Something about Lydeckers companion's eyes chilled her even more than the cold air._

_Lydecker reached Max and stretched out an arm. He tapped the shoulder of the X5 who stood beside her, X5-736, Ara as she had secretly named herself. "This one." Lydecker moved on and selected another female, and Max felt herself breathing again. _

_"Send the selected X5s to Doctor Gertals section. Carry on the normal schedule with the rest," the Colonel instructed. He turned and left the parade ground with the Doctor._

"Max?" Logan's voice was concerned. "Are you okay?"

"They came to get four of us. They took them away to the medical section." Max's voice was flat and her eyes were distant…

_It was several days later and Max walked across the parade grounds, a thick envelope in her hand. Her sergeant had handed it to her and told her to high tail it over to the medical records section. Max reached the small office that served as a reception area for the section and stood at attention waiting for the soldier manning the desk to notice her. _

_"What are you doing here, freak?" he snapped when he saw her standing there. _

_"Delivery for medical records, sir."__ Max held out the envelope. He snatched it out of her hand with a muttered curse and turned away. "Dismissed. Get out of my sight." Max saluted and turned to leave the building. Before she could leave, a swinging door in the back room opened and two technicians wheeled a gurney out almost at a dead run. One was pushing and the other was holding an IV bag and trotting alongside of it. A figure rested on top of the gurney. A small one. Max recognized it as Ara. Her skin was gray and covered with lesions and she was gasping for breath. _

_"What the hell…" the desk clerk began._

_"Open the door. Now. We need to get her to surgery. And don't touch her."  
The clerk hastened to comply staying well back from the gurney. "What's wrong with her?"_

_The tech holding the IV Bag looked at him as he passed. "Ever hear of Zycinor?"_

_"Bio warfare agent.__ No known cure. Kills within 24 hours." The clerk replied turning white and stepping hastily back._

_"Yeah.__ Well maybe the cure is inside this thing. Doc's gonna cut her up and see. So far it hasn't killed her and she's been infected for sixty plus hours…"_

_"Come on, the doc's waiting." The other tech cut him off and the gurney vanished behind the second door. When the clerk turned back to his desk, Max was gone as well.___

"…I never saw Ara or any of the others again.  I also never heard of a cure being developed for Zycinor. In fact, as far as I know they retired it in '08 as being too dangerous for use. Without a cure they couldn't take a chance on using it and infecting our own people." Max finished telling Logan. 

Logan let out a soft whistle. "And that's what's loose in Seattle." He hugged Max briefly. "I'm going to do some hacking to see what I can find out about it."

"Logan, it's dangerous to go back into the Manticore database."  Max knew exactly what he planned, without him having to tell her.

"It's more dangerous to sit back and do nothing with this thing loose in the city." 

Their eyes met and Max sighed. "Just…"

"…be careful." Logan finished for her. "I'm going to get started. You're welcome to stick around." He rose from the couch and headed to his computer room. 

"Damn right I'm going to. At least until you get in and out of Manticore and we know you're clear." Max answered him. She rose and walked over to the windows where she stood staring moodily out.  Logan watched her for a minute, but then he turned to his computers and set to work.

**End of Chapter Two**


	4. Chapter Three

**AS2.05: Viridae by Star24 **

**Disclaimer:** _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._

______________________________________

**Chapter Three**

**Jam Pony, Next Day**

Max and Original Cindy stood near their lockers as Jam Pony began to come alive with messengers arriving for the day. The phones were ringing incessantly and Normal stood behind the counter, muttering to himself as he sorted through packages. 

"Blue's doin' better. The docs told her she could probably go home today." Original Cindy tossed an extra sweater into her locker along with a brown paper bag, and slammed the door.

"That's good to hear. What's she gonna do about comin' back to work?" Max wanted to know.

"The goons trashed her wheels, but a bunch of us been getting together a collection for her to get some new ones."

"I'm in." Max reached into her pocket. "How much?"

"Just what you can spare, sugah." 

"I'm flush this week. Did pretty well at foosball the other night at CRASH." Max smiled, pulling out some bills and handing them to Original Cindy. "What's goin' down with the Guild anyway? Anyone heard anymore?"

"Not so far. Your boy found out anything yet?"

Max shot Cindy a warning glance. "The friend who's looking into it says it's not going to be easy but he's going to give it his best shot."

"Ain't no one in earshot. Original Cindy checked before she spoke." Cindy answered Max's unspoken reproach.

"Guess I'm just kinda gun-shy. We lost track of one of the black hats who just happens to know who my boy is." Max explained. 

"That's not a good thing, boo." Cindy looked concerned. "Your friend tryin' to locate him?"

"Right now his plates full lookin' into this Guild thing, not to mention that new virus that's been hittin' Seattle."

As if on cue, Max's cell phone began to trill. She pulled it out and turned away from Original Cindy. "Hey. What's happening?"

Logan's voice replied, "I got a lead on a doctor who might know something about the Zycinor virus. I'm going to head over there this morning to see what I can find out."

"What's his name?"

"Tropical disease specialist by the name of Windham. Sound familiar? I couldn't find it in the Manticore database. I checked his creds and he seems on the level. He's been on the outside for at least the last eight years. That's assuming he was ever on the inside, which seems doubtful."

Max thought for a moment, "It's not a name I recognize, but I didn't know the names of every lab tech and medical assistant. It's been over ten years. One of them could have graduated to doctor. I don't like you going to see him alone."

"Relax, Max. I'm a big boy and Bling's gonna ride shotgun. If anything goes sideways he'll be there. Anyway, I told the guy I was a freelance journalist doing an article on the outbreak. There's no reason for him to suspect anything, even if he is involved."

"Logan, is there anyway I can get you to wait until I can come along?"

"Sorry Max, we just pulled up at the doc's office. I'll be fine. I'll hit you when I'm finished here and let you know what I found out." 

"Logan be care…" there was a click as the phone cut off before she finished. Max sighed and put her phone away. 

Original Cindy was waiting for her at the front door of Jam Pony, and Max headed to the front desk where she took the packages Normal handed her and stuffed them in her pack absently before going down the ramp herself. Together the two headed out on their runs.

**An ****Office****Building****, ****Seattle******

Logan waited patiently in the reception area of what appeared to be a small and not altogether prosperous, doctor's office. He was the only one there so his wait was a short one.

"The doctor will see you now, Mr. Cale," the nurse/receptionist called to him not bothering to get up from her desk behind the partition that divided the room into waiting area and file room.

Logan rose and went through the door she indicated at the rear of the room. He was in a short hallway that had four doors opening off of it. He glanced into one that proved to be a small examining room that was presently empty; opposite it another opened onto an office. The hallway and examining room were dingy and dusty. Logan stepped into the office and a gray haired, stoop shouldered man rose from behind the desk and held out his hand.

"Mr. Logan Cale?"

Logan took the hand the doctor offered and shook it briefly. "Dr. Windham?"

"At your service. Have a seat."

The doctor sat back down and Logan took the chair in front of the desk. Like the examining room, the office had an air of disuse and neglect. Almost as if it hadn't been used recently. He glanced around to see Medical diplomas on the walls and various texts on what appeared to be tropical diseases and virology on the shelves that stood against one wall. Unlike the rest of the office the books were free of dust.

The doctor was looking at him intently. "How can I help you, Mr. Cale? You said this was a consultation but that it didn't involve yourself."

"I'm a free lance journalist and I'm researching a story on the recent cases of Zycinor that have cropped up in Seattle."

Dr. Windham didn't appear surprised at the mention of Zycinor. "Ah yes, I recall hearing something about that on the news the other night. Zycinor isn't a tropical disease though. Why would you think I could help you?"

"Logan pulled out a small notebook and referred to it. "According to what I've been able to learn, Zycinor is a man-made bio-warfare agent that is based on several virulent tropical viruses. Since tropical diseases are your area of expertise I thought you might be able to give me some background on it."

The doctor appeared to consider his question. "I'm afraid there isn't much I can tell you that you couldn't find in the published literature. Zycinor was developed as a bio-warfare weapon around the turn of the century. It was based on several viruses that originate in the African jungles. Initial symptoms are shortness of breath, lesions on the body and a high fever. The disease basically eats away at the internal organs, and death generally occurs within twenty-four hours of infection. There is no known cure, which is why it was retired in 2008 as a bio-weapon. The risk of infection of our own troops was unacceptable."

Logan nodded. "I do know all of that. What I don't know is how it got loose in Seattle if it was retired in 2008. Is it an airborne germ?"

"Contagion is through physical contact with a source of infection. The virus dies quickly in the air and can't be spread that way. The government must have maintained a small stockpile of it somewhere nearby and I'm afraid that someone unknowingly came into contact with it. They probably had an open wound, which is how the virus was able to penetrate their system. Once infected, close bodily contact with others or even infection through food handling would be a means of transmission. More than that I can't tell you and even that is pure speculation."

Logan had taken some notes as the doctor spoke. He looked up. "Tell me more about yourself. Why are you here in Seattle? There can't be much call for tropical disease specialists here. I would have thought you'd be working in a place more conducive to your line of work."

Dr. Windham was quiet for a moment. "I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. I'm semi-retired and I choose to spend my time here. I've done my time in the tropics and have no desire to do any more." He moved some papers on his desk absently as he spoke, avoiding Logan's eyes.

Logan looked at him sharply. Something about the doctor's manner didn't ring true. He glanced at the desk and noticed a file that the doctor had uncovered as he shifted his papers. What he could read of the tab said Zyci. Dr. Windham noticed his glance and quickly shifted the papers on his desk to cover the file tab. He rose.

"I'm afraid there's nothing more I can tell you, Mr. Cale. Good luck with your story."

It was a clear dismissal and Logan rose with him. "Thank you for the time and information, Dr.Windham." He started to leave then stopped, "One last question if I may?"

The doctor nodded impatiently.

"Why is it that Seattle isn't making use of your expertise in this crisis? One would think they'd use any resource they could in the face of such a deadly disease." Logan challenged him.

Dr.Windham just looked at him, "Perhaps you need to ask the Seattle medical establishment that question, Mr. Cale. Good day."

Logan left the office and a satisfied smile slipped onto the doctor's face as he looked down at the empty folder labeled Zycinor that he had deliberately allowed Logan a glimpse of.


	5. Chapter Four

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AS2.05: Viridae by Star24 

****

Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._

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Chapter Four

Seattle, Sector Six

"I don't like this." Sketchy said to Original Cindy as they rode side by side through a dilapidated section of Seattle. 

"There's two of us, fool, and we ain't takin' no back alley shortcuts. The Guild don't like doin' their dirty work out in the open." Cindy brushed off his concerns.

"I still don't like it," he grumbled.

Cindy snorted and the two rode in silence for another block or two. The neighborhood grew steadily worse as they did. Soon, vacant buildings whose blank, empty windows seemed to mock them, outnumbered signs of habitation. Even the winos who decorated most areas of Seattle seemed to be missing. Sketchy jumped and swerved his bike as a stray cat streaked in front of him, narrowly missing being run over by his front wheel.

"Address should be right…here." Original Cindy frowned as she looked at the package she held and then at the vacant lot sitting in front of her. The remnants of a foundation crumbled amongst waist high weeds, the blackened bricks making it clear that the building that had once stood there had been a victim of a fire.

"I told you I didn't like it." Sketchy looked around nervously. "Hey, where you going?"

Original Cindy had pulled her bike onto the sidewalk and dismounted. She was walking up the uneven steps of the building next door. "Maybe the number's wrong."

"I think we should take it back. Let Normal worry about it." Sketchy sat on his bike on the sidewalk watching as Original Cindy banged on the warped door of the building. 

"See? No one's home here either. Let's get out of here," he said when there was no answer. 

Original Cindy turned to look at him and the expression on her face was his only warning before he felt rough hands grab his shoulders and pull him off of his bike. 

"Hey, man…" he began to protest as he was yanked around to face the largest man he'd ever encountered. A meaty fist in his face interrupted his sentence and the last thing he heard before blackness took him, was Original Cindy's voice as she confronted their adversaries.

Two more thugs were advancing on Original Cindy who stood at the top of the steps. She let loose a string of curses as she saw their companion knock Sketchy down with one hard blow to his face. The two continued to advance on her.

"You were warned what was going to happen if the Jam Pony messengers didn't take up our kind invitation to join the Guild," the one in the lead said to her.

"Yeah well, Original Cindy and her crew don't take kindly to outsiders mindin' their business." She stood her ground, clutching the heavy package in her hand. 

"Guess we're going to have to start changing your minds then." The leader nodded to his companion who took two steps in one stride, bringing him level with Cindy. Before he could make a further move, she pulled the package she held from behind her back, and using two hands, brought it down on his head. Caught off balance, he staggered back and fell down the steps behind him landing on his butt on the sidewalk.

"You bitch." He scrambled to his feet. 

The leader held him back with a hand. "She wants to play rough. I think we should take her back with us and oblige. This is a bit too public. A hoverdrone could happen along." His voice was chilling in its soft menace.

"Original Cindy ain't goin' nowhere with you." Cindy stated.

This time however, the thug who had decked Sketchy joined the other one and they advanced on her from two sides. She struggled as they grabbed her, managing to deliver a few blows and scratches but she was no match for their size and strength. They dragged her down the steps to their leader who smiled evilly at her.

"Tell Lars to bring the car around." He said to the smaller one. The thug who had knocked out Sketchy wrapped his arms around Cindy in a bear hug making it impossible for her to move, while the other man trotted off around the corner. 

The first man moved to Cindy and took her chin in his hand. "You're one hot mama. Maybe I can make it easier on you when we get back to HQ. You oblige me and I put in a word for you."

In response, Cindy spat in his face. "Even if this girl swung that way, it wouldn't be with no ape like you."

He calmly wiped the spit from his face and then delivered an open-handed blow hard across her face. "You're going to be sorry you did that."

A black SUV was coming around the corner. He nodded to Cindy's captor to bring her along. The car pulled to the curb and they headed toward it, but before the doors opened, they heard the roar of a motorcycle and a black Ninja pulled up to the curb. 

"I heard there was a party going down." Max called out, with a reassuring glance at Cindy.

The two men looked her up and down appreciatively as she dismounted from the bike and sauntered toward them.

"I think you got the address wrong, but you're welcome to join us." The leader said with a leer.

"Oh yeah?" Max smiled at him and stood there with a hand on her hip, her figure clearly outlined in her black catsuit.

He reached out a hand to her. "Oh yeah, baby." 

Next thing Cindy knew, a black whirlwind was making short work of the thugs. Max took the leaders outstretched hand and with one strong yank he went flying, landing hard against the hood of the SUV. The one holding Cindy was next to go down as Max seized his hands and twisted hard. There was an audible crack and he screamed in pain, letting his arms drop from around Cindy. Cindy turned and kicked him hard between his legs and he dropped to the ground, moaning.

The third thug was running toward them pulling out a gun as he ran, but Max neatly sidestepped him and took him down with a hard chop to the back of his neck. 

"Max! Watch out." Original Cindy yelled as the driver's door of the SUV opened and a gun barrel appeared over the top of it. A bullet whined and then ricocheted off the wall of the building behind them as Max moved in a blur of motion. She reached the door of the SUV and slammed it closed on the driver, knocking him out with the force of the blow.

Original Cindy had picked up the second thug's gun and stood holding it on the leader who was beginning to stir groggily. The others were effectively out of commission.

"You okay, Boo?" Max asked Cindy as she stepped over the bodies on her way to check on Sketchy.

"Nevah better." Cindy assured her, shaking her head. "Even though I saw it before, this girl still can't get over those moves of yours."

Max shrugged. "How I was made." She leaned down and checked Sketchy's pulse. "He's okay."

"How'd you know to come after us?" 

Max glanced down to be sure Sketchy was still unconscious before she answered. "Logan had some success with tracking down the Guild cell phone numbers. He heard about a squad heading out to take down some Jam Pony messengers in this area. He gave me the heads up, and here I am."

"Thank your boy for me, boo. OC owes him one."

Max grinned. "I gotta blaze. Looks like Sketchy is comin' around. You think you two are okay now?"

"Just send that one back to la la land so we can get our asses out of here before you go."

Original Cindy pointed to the leader.

"With pleasure." Max walked over and with a quick blow sent the leader slumping back onto the ground. She glanced around to make sure the others were no threat to her friends, and then jumped on her bike and left with a roar, leaving Cindy to deal with a groggy Sketchy.

****

End of Chapter Four


	6. Chapter Five

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

_______________________________________ 

**Chapter Five**

South Market, Seattle 

Max made sure her bike was well secured in an alley near the market, and then strolled nonchalantly to the hot noodle stand that was located in the center of one of the aisles. People bustled around her, intent on their business of buying and selling both legal and illegal items, creating a colorful scene. Max paid no heed to them as she scanned the small tables that were set up near the noodle stand. A smile crossed her face as she spotted Logan seated at one with two steaming cups of noodles in front of him.

"Hey." She said dropping down into the empty chair across from him.

Logan pushed a bowl of noodles over to her and returned her smile. "Hey, yourself. Everything okay?"

"It's all good. Your tip was right on. Caught some muscle about to drag my homegirl off in their ride and let them know what's the what about that." Max dug into the noodles with relish. "Kickin' ass definitely works up an appetite."

"I hope to have some more concrete information on our friends very soon. Now that I've gotten into their cell network, it shouldn't be long before I can find out who the brains behind it are. Then it'll be time for a friend of ours to do his thing."

"Always knew you were good for something." Max grinned at him teasingly.

"Yeah. Sometimes." Logan smiled back, but a shadow had crossed his face and his eyes reflected the pain that was never far away since the incident with Carly and Gavin.

"Logan, you have to let it go." Max reached over to touch his hand.

Logan pulled his hand away from her. "Max, I don't want to talk about it."

She frowned. "So you're gonna spend the rest of your life beating yourself up over it? I've got a nice hair shirt I can send over to you. Or wait, I think I remember the address where Phil and I found that dominatrix. Maybe you ought to head over there and let her do a number on you for all your sins." 

Logan glared at her. "So what are you saying? I should just walk away and forget it all ever happened? Pretend Carly doesn't exist? I can't do that, Max."

"Fine, Logan. Do what you have to. And I'll do what I have to." Max was angry now as well. The two stared at each other, neither one willing to back down.

"Is that a threat, Max?" Logan said softly.

"Just a statement of facts. I don't make threats." Max took another mouthful of noodles. "What's the word on the doc you went to go see?" Her words and tone were all business.

Logan stared at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Something doesn't feel right about him. He claimed not to know anything about Zycinor. Claimed he was semi-retired."

"Yeah, so?"

"There was a file on his desk under some papers. I couldn't see the whole thing but I managed to make out the letters Z-Y-C-I on it."

"The first four letters of Zycinor. Sounds like maybe I should pay an after hours visit to our friend's office."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"I'm free tonight."

"I'll drive you over."

"That's okay. I can find it myself." She glanced down at her watch. "Gotta blaze. Normal's gonna have a cow if I don't show at all this afternoon." Max rose from the table. "Thanks for lunch." Her words were cool. Before Logan could answer she was gone, vanished into the milling crowds.

Logan sat there for a moment more. Then he too rose and unsmiling, headed to where he had left his car parked. 

**Donald Lydecker's Office, Manticore**

Lydecker studied the file that Lieutenant Cardoso had just handed him. There was silence in the office as he shuffled the papers in it. Finally he finished. He closed the file and took off his glasses, folding them and laying them neatly on his desk. Then he steepled his fingers and looked at the lieutenant.

"It appears that Dr. Gertals has been a busy beaver lately. He's not only hacked into my X5 files, he's downloaded every medical file dealing with Zycinor in the database."

The lieutenant nodded in agreement.

Lydecker stared at him. When he spoke his voice cut like a knife. "How in hell did he get those kinds of clearances?"

"It appears that Director Renfro gave them to him, sir."

"Elisabeth again. Quite the busy lady wasn't she." Lydecker frowned. "Get Gertals here. Now."

"There's a bit of a problem with that, sir." Lieutenant Cardoso said.

"Such as?"

"Dr. Gertal's cabin is empty sir.  He hasn't been to the labs for two days. No one has seen him anywhere on base."

"So in other words the pigeon has flown the coop?"  Lydecker's voice was deadly in its softness. "Who's in charge of Medical personnel security?"

"Captain Rensler, sir."

"Captain Rensler is about to have a sudden change in duty station." Lydecker said, almost to himself.

The lieutenant continued to sit there.

"Is there something else, Lieutenant?" Lydecker looked at him quizzically.

"I don't know if this is relevant, but I found this in the doctor's quarters sir." Lieutenant Cardoso held out the remnants of a charred manila file folder. The label on it was still readable and it said **Adrianna Vertes. **

"Dr. Gertals and Dr. Vertes were colleagues. I believe they may have worked on some projects together." Lydecker dismissed the folder.

"Yes, sir. But this scrap of paper was next to it, in the fireplace of the cabin. I thought it might mean something."

Lieutenant Cardoso held out a small scrap of paper that was charred black at the edges and brown and brittle throughout. Lydecker took it, careful not to crumble it in his hand. He looked down at it and then picked up his glasses and put them on. He swore under his breath. "What does that word look like to you?" He held the paper out to Cardoso who took it and examined the word the Colonel had indicated.

"Cale?" he ventured before he handed it back to Lydecker.

"Dismissed." Lydecker dropped the paper on his desk seemingly losing interest in it. "I want you to have surveillance start a tracking operation on Gertals. Tell them he's in Seattle somewhere. I'm authorizing a priority for it."

"Yes sir." Lieutenant Cardoso saluted and left the office. Lydecker sat there lost in thought. After a moment he picked up his cell phone and began to dial a number.

**Seattle****, that evening**

The Aztek traveled rapidly through Seattle's sectors, stopping only for traffic signals and to clear Sector checkpoints. Logan looked preoccupied, concentrating only on the road ahead.  He only glanced in his rear view mirror occasionally and mechanically as he went on his way, never seeming to notice the black motorcycle and its rider following a good distance behind him.

Finally, he came to a section of Seattle that appeared to be made up of old estate homes that had seen better days. He slowed the car and then pulled into a tree shaded driveway that was bordered by two massive stone pillars.  In seconds his car was out of sight. The motorcycle pulled up to the driveway and stopped.  Max looked at the sign set into one of the pillars.  It read FOREST GLEN. She sighed and gunned the Ninja's engine, and then she roared off, vanishing into the growing dark.

**End of Chapter Five**


	7. Chapter Six

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

__________________________________

**Chapter Six**

**Office**** **Building******, **Seattle********

Max parked her Ninja in the alley behind the building that housed Dr. Windham's office. The entire area was deserted; even Seattle's homeless weren't in evidence.  She shrugged to herself at the thought that the Sector Police worked a bit harder at keeping the streets in the former business district of Seattle cleaner than those located in more depressed areas of the city.  

There was a flat steel door that opened into the building and Max made quick work of opening it with her burglary tools and strength. It swung eerily on its hinges as she stood there for a moment looking into the black depths of the building.  She focused her night vision and stared inside, but all she saw was a short blank hallway with a door at the end of it. Except for water dripping in the alley, remnants of the earlier rain, and the creak of the swinging door, everything was quiet. Max slipped her tools into her backpack and pulled the door closed behind her as she entered the building.

Logan had said the doctor's office was on the third floor, so she looked for a stairwell that would take her up. She found it, located just behind the door that opened from the hall she had entered the building through. Within moments she was on the third floor, counting doors to the one that was Windham's office.  Everything was dark and quiet. The building while not decrepit had seen better days. Clearly its tenants and/or owner didn't go to the expense of a security system or a night watchman.

Max found the office and slipped a slim blade between the door and the jam. She probed for only a few seconds before the lock released and the door opened easily. She was in the reception room which was just as Logan had described it. A few plastic chairs were placed against the wall and a small table held an untidy stack of old magazines. Max idly flipped through them noting that the most recent one was six months old. 

Not seeing anything of interest in the reception area, she headed to the door that led back to the doctor's office.  She stepped through it and glanced into the examining room. It looked like any other examining room that one would find in any doctors office. There didn't appear to be any files or papers in it so she didn't bother to go in and look any further.  Across the hall was her goal, Dr. Windham's office. She grasped the knob and pushed the door open.  Dim light filtered in through the dirty windows illuminating the desk, its entire surface covered in papers and files.  

Max crossed to the desk and began picking up the papers, looking for the file that Logan had glimpsed.  She found several manila folders that appeared to have notes and information on various tropical diseases, but there was nothing labeled **Zycinor** or even anything starting with the letters **Zyci**.  When she finished with the desktop, she methodically opened and searched each drawer, again to no avail. The bookshelves were similarly unhelpful.  She was looking around the office to see if there was something she had missed when the overhead lights came on, momentarily blinding her. 

"Is this what you're looking for?" a soft voice said.

She squinted and let her eyes focus on the man standing in the doorway holding out a manila folder with the label** Zycinor** on it.  Her eyes widened.

_Colonel Lydecker came out of the Manticore building accompanied by another man. He completed his inspection of the ranks of X5s and then turned to his companion. "There they are, Doctor." Lydecker said to his companion. "How many do you need?"_

_"Four will do as a start. Two males and two females."_

"I see you recognize me." The man chuckled. 

"You're Gertals. You killed my brothers and sisters with your experiments." Max growled and launched herself through the air at the man.  She grabbed his throat but as she did, she felt a prick in her arm.  Looking down she saw him holding a hypodermic needle.  Her legs suddenly felt weak, and her hands loosened their grip and dropped from his neck. "You bastard…" she choked as she fell forward. 

With surprising strength the doctor caught her as she slumped, lowering her onto the floor.  A smile crossed his face as he looked down at her. Leaning down he lifted her hair and looked at her barcode.

"Welcome to my facility 452. I'm looking forward to a profitable relationship."

**Donald Lydecker's Office, Manticore**

Lydecker paced restlessly across his office, his cell phone held at his ear. "Damn it pick up," he muttered as he listened to the ringing tones. Finally he heard a voice, but before he could speak he realized that it was a voicemail greeting.

_"You have reached the number you have reached. Sorry I can't take your call right now. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

"Cale, this is Lydecker. Max is in serious danger. You need to warn her. A Manticore doctor knows she's in Seattle, and I have reason to believe he may know she has a connection with you. He's going to try to get his hands on her. His name is Gertals but he's probably not going by it. You and Max need to be extremely careful, the situation is serious. If he does manage to grab Max it could be fatal for her. You have my number. Call me back when you get this message. And it might be wise to get Max out of Seattle until Gertals is contained."

Finished he snapped his phone closed, breaking the connection. He strode to his desk and picked up his phone. "Cardoso, is there any word on locating Gertals?" He listened for a moment. "Trying isn't acceptable. Tell them I want him found. Yesterday. And get a Tac Team on alert. Once we have a location we'll be picking him up.  He can't be allowed to run loose with the knowledge that he has. Call me when the team is ready."

He hung up the phone and looked at his watch. Then he sat at his desk and began to look through the files that Cardoso had given him earlier, as if he might find some clue to Gertal's whereabouts in them.

**Fogle****Towers******

Logan let himself back into his apartment. Once inside he dropped his keys onto the narrow table that stood in the entrance hall and flung his jacket over the coat rack in the corner. Then he headed straight for the windows, a departure from his usual routine of checking his emails immediately whenever he had been out. 

He stood for a long time staring out into space, his expression serious. Then with a heavy sigh he ran his hand through his hair and turned away from the windows. His answering machine sat on the buffet in his dining room, but he never even glanced in its direction.  Instead he headed down the hallway to his bedroom. Moments later the sound of water running in the shower filled the apartment.  In the dark and empty dining room, a red light blinked slowly and steadily on the answering machine. 

**End of Chapter Six**


	8. Chapter Seven

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24 

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

______________________________________ 

**Chapter Seven**

**Fogle****Towers****, ****Midnight******

Logan wheeled out of his bedroom. He was freshly showered, and his hair stuck up in wet spikes from a perfunctory towel drying. He was halfway to his computer room when the lights in the apartment went out. He cursed softly under his breath as he detoured to the kitchen for one of the candles he kept handy, for use in Seattle's frequent blackouts. 

His main CPU was hooked into a UPS unit so its screen still glowed blue in the dark apartment, but everything else that required power was off, including his phone answering machine. He wheeled himself into the computer room where he checked his inbox for any incoming email. It was empty, a rare occurrence but not an unheard of one, especially given the fact that his current Eyes Only investigations were all in their early stages. 

He hadn't put his watch back on after his shower, so he glanced at the time displayed on the computer screen. He figured Max should be showing up at any moment; hopefully with Dr. Windham's file on Zycinor. To pass the time until she did, he logged into one of his search programs and began a new search for information on Zycinor.  

Half an hour later he hadn't found anything new and he was getting impatient. The power still hadn't come back on, so he pulled out his cell phone and hit Max's speed dial. Her voicemail message kicked in after only one ring.

"I'm busy. Leave a message or hit me back later." Max's voice said breezily. He smiled to himself at her characteristic brevity.

"It's just me checking in and wondering why you aren't here yet. Give me a call when you get this." He left his message and hit the disconnect key, and then shoved the phone back into his pocket. 

Two hours later Max hadn't arrived, and Logan was getting worried. There was still no response on her cell phone. She had been angry with him when she left him today, but she had planned on doing tonight's job. He couldn't believe she'd let personal feelings interfere in a situation as serious as the Zycinor one, even though there had been no new reported cases in the last day and the urgency seemed to have toned down a notch.

He wheeled himself back into his bedroom and emerged several moments later, dressed all in black and wearing the exo-skeleton. Striding into his computer room he retrieved his gun, slipping one clip into the magazine and another into his pocket. He was looking around for his keys when the lights came back on. There was a soft whirring as the balance of his computer equipment came on line. There was also a beeping from the dining room which meant that his answering machine needed to be reset.  He hesitated but then walked over to it.  He hit the keypad to reset the machine and was about to turn away, when he noticed the message light flashing.  On the chance that it might be from Max, he pushed the PLAY button. Donald Lydecker's voice filled the room with his grim warning.

"Damn it." Logan cursed out loud as soon as he got the gist of the message. He didn't wait for the machine to finish before he was out the door of the penthouse, jabbing impatiently at the elevator button. 

**Office****Building****, ****Seattle**** 2:45 AM**

Logan parked the Aztek a block away from Dr. Windham's building and approached on foot. The streets were deserted at this late hour, the pavement shining wetly from the rain that continued to fall softly. When he reached the building he glanced at the front entrance, but then detoured down the alley at the side. He pulled out a small maglite to light his way. He reached the rear of the building and swung the light around in an arc. A gleam of chrome caught his eye and he walked closer. As he had suspected, it was Max's Ninja. His face was grim as he walked back to the building. He didn't have Max's burglary skills but he was in luck. The metal back door was slightly ajar, probably from Max's earlier entrance. He pulled it open and shined the light cautiously inside but the hallway was empty. 

He slipped a hand into his pocket and felt the reassuring weight of his 9mm, and then quietly walked into the hallway. Following in Max's earlier footsteps, he pushed open the door at the end and located the door leading to the stairs. Everything remained quiet as he entered the stairwell and began the climb to the third floor. 

He climbed slowly, stopping frequently to listen for any sounds and wishing he had Max's enhanced senses. After what seemed an eternity, he reached the third floor landing. He extinguished his light and pulled the gun from his pocket before slowly pushing open the door. 

The third floor hallway was as dark and quiet as the one below. No betraying light shone out from under any of the doors opening off of it. Logan hugged the wall as he made his way slowly toward Dr. Windham's office. The exo-skeleton hummed faintly, and he cursed the fates that made him dependent on it at a time when silence was so critical. He finally reached the door to Windham's office. He stood there for a moment listening, and then reached out to touch the knob. The door swung open silently. 

The reception area was dark and no light leaked from under the door leading back to the examining rooms and office. Logan flipped on his own light, shielding it with his hand so that it illuminated only the area immediately in front of his feet. He didn't want to risk tripping over something and alerting anyone in the back rooms. When he reached the back door he stopped to listen once again before pushing it open slowly. The hallway in front of him was dark and as far as he could tell it was empty. He walked past the examination room; glancing in to be sure it was unoccupied. Dr. Windham's office door was open and the office appeared to be as deserted as the examining room. Logan proceeded past it.  There were two more doorways, one on his left and one on his right. The one to his left proved to be another examining room. That left only the door on his right. He moved toward it, gun held at the ready.  

The knob turned easily and he pushed the door open onto complete blackness. The room was evidently windowless. Logan stood silently in the doorway letting his eyes adjust, but he still couldn't make anything out. He decided to risk a light and reached into his pocket for the maglite. Before he could pull it out and flick it on, there was a sound behind him. As he began to turn, he felt something come down on his head and he slumped to the floor, dropping both his gun and the flashlight.

Dr, Windham stood over Logan's unconscious form, holding a wooden bookend in his hand. He reached out with his foot and rolled Logan onto his back. "Mr. Cale. Why am I not surprised to see you here?"  He shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps I can make use of you," he muttered to himself. With another shove of his foot he pushed Logan out of the path of the door and further into the room. That done, he walked out of the room and closed and locked the door behind him. 

**End of Chapter Seven**


	9. Chapter Eight

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

________________________________

**Chapter Eight**

**Jam Pony, Next Morning**

Normal looked around in irritation as he held a package in his hand. "Where the fire truck is Max?" he demanded. "Bad enough you slackers won't work alone, now I'm short a messenger, which means that Miss Thang there won't go out on her own…" He rambled on in one of his usual diatribes against the lowlifes he was forced to employ.

Sketchy was walking by with Sky on their way to make their morning runs. He started to reply but Sky poked him in the ribs saying sotto voce, "You wanna get stuck with her runs as well as our own?" Sketchy quickly shut his mouth. 

Original Cindy was standing at the payphone and she glanced over at Normal for a second, but then ignored him as he turned to answer a ringing phone. She dialed a number, listened for a moment, and then began to speak.

"Hey. It's Original Cindy. Checkin' up on you and my home girl. You better be hittin' me back to tell me she's with you, 'cause she didn't catch her winks at home last night."

She left the message on Logan's machine and hung up. She was walking back to her locker when Normal screamed out to her.

"Phone call. And you better tell whoever it is, that this is a business establishment. Personal calls are to be made and received on personal time and on personal phone equipment." He held the phone out to her with a look of aggravation on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered walking over to him and snatching the phone from his hand.

"Original Cindy here." She listened for a minute. "Say what? Yeah. That was me and my fool, the Sketchman the othah day. How'd you hear 'bout that anyway?" There was another silence as she listened intently.  "I think the Jam Pony crew'd be interested in that. What other services are in the loop?" She reached into the cage and snatched the phone pad from in front of Normal. Then she held out a hand to him for a pencil. Normal glared at her, but handed her the one from behind his ear.

"Hold up. I ain't no speed writer. Steel Wheels is in, Burnin' Rubber, and who else? Ah okay, gotcha. Hit me with the time and place." As she listened she scribbled rapidly on the pad. "Yeah, we'll be there. Thanks." She finished writing and then handed the phone back to Normal. She pulled the paper off of the pad and carefully folded it and placed it in one of her pockets.

"And that was?" he asked.

"Some of the other services want to have a meetin' of the minds. To discuss what we gonna do about the goons from the Guild. Seein' as how Seattle's finest, not to mention our caring employers, ain't doin' much but sit on their thumbs." 

Normal snorted. "Probably want to meet at one of those dives you all hang out in and cry into your beers together. It's nothing but an excuse to go out and get drunk if you ask me."

"I don't see no one askin' you, Normal. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some preventive maintenance work to do on that sorry set of wheels you provide for me."

"Your lazy girlfriend better show her face here today…" he began.

"…or she's fired." Cindy finished. "Whatever." She walked away to get her bike. Normal muttered to himself as he returned to taking calls and sorting packages.

**Office****Building****, ****Seattle******

Logan paced restlessly in the small dark examining room that the doctor had locked him into the night before. He had managed to find the maglite which had dropped out of his hand and, luckily, rolled into the room when the doctor had knocked him out. He hadn't been nearly as successful in locating his gun, and he figured that that had ended up somewhere out in the hallway. The room was windowless and the light switch didn't do anything when he flipped it on, but the flashlight had enabled him to see that he was in a dusty examining room that was identical to the two others he had seen. He had searched the room to see if he could find anything useful, but the cabinets were empty except for a metal holder filled with cotton swabs and a couple of rolls of ace bandages. He used the light sparingly not knowing how long he was going to be stuck in his present situation. He still had his cell phone, but either the room or the building was interfering with his reception, so it was worse than useless.

It was mid morning according to his watch, when he heard sounds from outside. There was the unmistakable sound of a key in the lock. The door swung open to reveal Dr. Windham standing in the doorway. He held a gun pointed at Logan. 

"Good morning, Mr. Cale. I trust you slept well?"

"No." Logan said shortly. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

"The girl who came here last night."

"Ah, you mean my burglar? The X5?" The doctor smiled and it sent chills down Logan's spine. He remembered Lydecker's warning that if the doctor got his hands on Max it could be fatal to her. 

"What have you done to her?" Logan demanded.

"She's merely assisting me in some of my work. Would you like to come and see?" He gestured with the gun, making it clear that his invitation was one that was not to be refused. "After you, Mr. Cale."

Logan exited the room and the doctor indicated he should turn left. When they got to the front examining room, he pushed Logan into it. Logan gasped at what he saw in front of him. Max was lying on the examining table. She appeared to be unconscious and her skin was a sickly gray color. She was sweating profusely. 

Logan forgot about the doctor and hurried across the room to Max. He touched her forehead gently and flinched as he felt her elevated temperature. He turned to face the doctor. "What the hell did you do to her?" His fury was evident in his face. 

"She's recovering from an infection I gave her last night. Luckily for you she's no longer contagious. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Her immune system kicked in and produced the antibodies she needed to fight it off. In a matter of hours she'll be almost back to her normal self." Windham smiled.

"Why would you do that?" Logan wanted to know. "Why infect her with some disease? Are you some kind of pervert who gets their kicks that way?"

"I needed the antibodies for the disease in question. X5s are designed to produce antibodies to disease upon exposure. The only way to get them was to infect her."

"So you got your antibodies. Then you don't need her any more. Let us go." Logan said.

The doctor laughed. "Antibodies to one disease. There are so many more. I'm far from done with your friend."

"You can't keep doing this to her." Logan said, glancing down at Max.

"I believe I can. You certainly aren't in a position to stop me." The doctor laughed softly. "I'm going to leave you with her now. There's juice and some food in the refrigerator. You can give her some when she wakes up. Take care of her. She needs to regain her strength so she can help me again later."

Before Logan could gather himself to try an attack on the doctor, he left the room. The door closed behind him and there was the clear snick of the lock being turned.  

Max let out a soft moan and Logan immediately turned to her. 

"Max, it's okay. I'm here. It's going to be all right. I promise." He found a paper towel and wet it in the small sink, then began to gently wipe her face, murmuring reassurances to her as he did. Her temperature seemed to have dropped slightly and he thought he could detect some faint color returning to her skin. He thought hard as he tended her and waited for her to regain consciousness. There had to be more going on than the doctor had so far revealed, and he had a sinking feeling that it had to do with Zycinor and those long ago experiments that Max had told him about.

**End of Chapter Eight**


	10. Chapter Nine

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

_________________________________

**Chapter Nine**

**Office****Building****, several hours later**

Logan continued to sponge Max down with cool water and after a while he was even able to get her to swallow some juice that he had found in the small laboratory refrigerator. After that she slipped into a natural sleep, as opposed to her earlier unconscious state. He was impatient to speak to her before the doctor returned, but he was reluctant to wake her up, so he forced himself to wait patiently.

Finally she muttered something and she shifted restlessly on the examining table. Logan was sitting in the small metal chair that was the room's only other furniture, leafing through an old magazine that he had found in one of the cabinets that took up the top half of one wall of the examining room. He put it down and watched as Max's eyes fluttered open. 

"Logan?" she said as she turned her head and saw him sitting there. He rose immediately and went to her placing his hand on her forehead. Her temperature appeared to be normal and she wasn't sweating as she had been earlier. Her skin was back to its normal color. "What happened?" She tried to sit up, and he placed a hand behind her back to aid her, then reached down and raised the top half of the table so she could lean back against it in a sitting position.

"How do you feel?" He ignored her question for the moment.

"Like I just got run over by a truck. Other than that, I'm good." Max attempted a smile.

"Here." Logan had poured her some more juice and she took the cup from him and drank it down greedily.

"So where are we?" Max asked again.

"Do you remember anything about last night?" Logan asked her.

Max frowned. "I broke into the offices, but the file you saw wasn't there…"She stopped as memory returned. "It's him. Your Dr. Windham isn't who you thought he was. He's the doctor from Manticore. His name is Gertals. The one I told you about who took away my brothers and sisters. He came in while I was searching for the file, and I recognized him and went after him. He injected me with something. That's all I remember until now."

"It was a setup, Max." Logan looked at her grimly. "There was a warning on my machine last night from Lydecker. Somehow this guy found out there was an X5 loose in Seattle, and he made the link between us. He used me to lure you here. The file I saw in his office that appeared to say Zycinor was the bait."

"So how did you end up here with me in Dr. Frankenstein's lab?"

"When I got Lydecker's message I came after you. He must have been expecting me because he hit me over the head and here I am." A look of self disgust came over Logan's face. "Some hero I make."

"Its okay, Logan." Max said softly. "Thanks for coming after me."

"Thank me when we get out of here." Logan said. There was silence for a moment as their eyes met. "I should never have sent you here. I should have guessed it was a trap before I got Deck's message. My mind was on other things and I got careless. I'm sorry."

"What does he want me for anyway?" Max asked even as a chill ran over her. 

"He says he wants the antibodies that X5s produce when infected with disease. He's already infected you with something, that's why you feel the way you do."

"He wants to continue his experiments." Max whispered. "The ones he was doing when I was younger. They made him stop after the Zycinor failure, but he must have been waiting all these years for another chance."

Logan sat on the edge of the table and put his arm around her shoulder. "We're not going to let him use you. We'll get out of here."

"How, Logan? Right now I don't feel like I could take on a French poodle and win."

Logan looked worried. "If we could get word to Lydecker where we are…I need access to a computer. I have my cell phone, but something in this building is jamming the reception."

Before Max could respond the door opened and the doctor stood there holding a gun on them.  "I see that you're awake and recovered." He smiled at Max.

"No thanks to you." She spat at him. "I thought doctors were supposed to cure diseases not cause them?"

"Disease in humans my dear. And you aren't really human, are you?"

"She's more human than you'll ever be." Logan rose threateningly. Max grabbed his arm as she saw the doctor's fingers tighten slightly on the trigger of the gun.

"Its okay, Logan. He can say whatever he wants. He's the real monster here, not me, and we all know that."

"Very touching, your devotion to each other." The doctor sneered. "He pointed the gun at Logan. "Mr. Cale you need to move to the far wall and stand facing it. Now."

Logan stood there, stubbornly refusing to move.

"Do it, Logan. I'll be okay." Max gave him a shove in the direction of the wall. He looked down at her but she shook her head and indicated he should do as the doctor said. Reluctantly he moved to obey. "Now what?" Max wanted to know.

"Now you come with me, quietly and with no trouble or I shoot your friend." The doctor continued to point the gun at Logan. Max swung her legs off of the table and stood shakily. "Come along." The doctor stepped back into the hallway allowing room for Max to exit the room, while still keeping the gun aimed at Logan's back. 

Max slowly walked toward him, biding her time until she could make her move. She still felt shaky and hoped she had the strength to pull it off. As she drew even with the doctor she started to turn and bring her hands up to take him out. But she was still weak from the infection and before she could touch him, he pulled his other hand from his pocket and she felt the same prick she had felt the night before. At the same time he shoved her into the hallway and kicked the examining room door closed with his foot. She heard the click as it locked automatically, isolating her from Logan. 

"That trick won't work twice," she gritted out as she struggled to maintain her balance.

The doctor simply stood there with a smile on his face as the drug once again overcame her, and she slumped against the wall.

* * * * * 

 It seemed like forever to Logan before the door opened and the doctor carried Max back into the room. She was limp in his arms, and her face and arms were covered with small marks, almost like measles.  Doctor Gertals placed her on the examining table and stepped back allowing Logan to go to her. 

"What did you give her this time?"  Logan demanded. He started toward the doctor only to be faced once more with his gun.

 "A minor viral disease. She'll be fine. Her body has already made the necessary antibodies to it."  Doctor Gertals was unconcerned.

"How many times do you intend to do this? You're going to kill her if you keep it up at this pace."

"There's only one more disease left that I need her for. These first two were merely tests of her immune system. I had to be sure it was the same as the other X5s I've used in the past. The crucial one is the one I haven't done yet."

"What one might that be?" Logan had a sinking feeling that he already knew.

"You know which one that is, Mr. Cale. It's the one you were so interested in when you came to see me."

"You can't infect her with Zycinor. Even X5s can't fight that one off. You know that."

"The X5s I used were children and they resisted it for days before succumbing. She's in the prime of her health and strong. She may be the one I need. If not…" he shrugged his shoulders. "At least I'll have more data on it."

"Why are you so obsessed with a disease that doesn't even exist naturally?" Logan wanted to know.

The doctor was silent for a moment, staring at him. "But it does exist and other powers besides the US know of it. They may even have it. We need to be prepared."

"So for a vague possibility that someone may someday get it, you're willing to kill her?" Logan sensed there was more to it and he pushed.

"Zycinor killed my wife." The doctor ground out fiercely.  
Logan stared in shock.

"She was a lab tech at Manticore, assigned to the Zycinor project. But something went wrong and she was infected. I watched her die through the window of an isolation room. Alone and in pain. And I swore I'd find a cure for it."

"By killing innocent children?"  
"They weren't human." The doctor snarled at Logan. "They're constructs. Created in a lab. What better use for them than to save the lives of real humans? If we'd done this as soon as we made the disease, my wife could be alive today. She was worth hundreds of these creatures." 

"You let it loose in Seattle didn't you?" Logan said slowly, realization dawning. "You did it to draw Max out into the open, to draw her to you. And you knew about me somehow."

"I knew the rogue X5 who was loose would know exactly what Zycinor was. And I knew that she was associated with a Logan Cale. That she had given him stem cell enriched blood in order to heal a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. Come, Mr. Cale. You were quite willing to use X5-452's blood to heal yourself. How can you grudge my using her to help others?"

"She gave me her blood. Of her own free will. And she didn't risk her life doing it. But how do you know about that? Even Lydecker doesn't know."

"I was a close colleague of Adrianna Vertes. Last year she sent me a medical file. She was working on the case of a man who had received stem cell enriched blood, but whose body was rejecting it. She asked me for some suggestions on solving the rejection problem. I gave her some but at the same time I kept note of the file. And when I recently found out that a rogue X5 was in Seattle…it was an easy connection to make. I arranged to have several people infected with Zycinor. And you and Max, as you call her, did exactly as I expected."

"You're insane." Logan whispered as he looked into Gertal's eyes. "I won't let you do this."

"And you Mr. Cale, are helpless to stop me. Once I have what I need from the X5 I won't need either of you anymore." He backed out of the room, leaving Logan staring after him.

**End of Chapter Nine**


	11. Chapter Ten

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24  

**Disclaimer:** _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._

**Chapter Ten**

**Field HQ, Seattle**

Lydecker paced impatiently in the warehouse in Seattle that the Tac Team was using as a field headquarters.  The team members were all quietly at work, checking their gear and weapons and preparing to move out as soon as he gave the word.

Lieutenant Cardoso was talking to the communications tech who had his equipment setup in a van marked to look like an electrician's service vehicle. He ended his conversation and walked over to Lydecker.

"Well?" Lydecker demanded.

"Still no leads on Gertal's whereabouts. No new cases of Zycinor have manifested so there're no leads to follow that we haven't already come up empty on."

The Colonel frowned and hit a number on his cell phone. He held it to his ear and listened but then brought it down and closed it with a snap. 

"Keep trying. I want to know anything at all that you turn up on either Gertals or on Logan Cale. Any sightings of either of them, any phone calls made by Cale, anything."

"Yes, sir." Cardoso saluted and went back to the communications van.

**Office Building, Seattle**

Once again, Logan was reduced to waiting while Max recovered from whatever it was that Gertals had infected her with. It seemed to take longer this time and she tossed restlessly on the narrow table, sometimes mumbling fragments that made no sense to him. 

All he could do was sponge her down and murmur soothing words to her when she became too agitated. Finally she calmed down, and her skin cleared and began to regain its color.  She opened her eyes and he was relieved to see recognition of him in them.

"Hey, Logan," she said weakly. 

"You feeling okay? I was worried for a while." He reached down for her hand and held on to it. 

"I'll be fine. Bastard had his little knock out drops ready for me again. Didn't give me a chance to break his slimy neck."

"We're gonna figure something out, Max. I'm not letting him inject you with Zycinor." 

He pulled out his useless cell phone and in a moment of frustration threw it across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor in pieces.

"Now that was a waste of an expensive piece of electronics. I could've fenced that for a C-note or two." Max chided him.

"You're worried about a cell phone?" Logan looked at her incredulously.

Max grinned. "Either let go of my hand or check out my pocket yourself. I brought you a present."

Logan reached into her jeans pocket and a moment pulled out a small black case. For the first time that day a genuine smile crossed his face.  "Max, you're amazing. How…?"

"I was weak when he took me out of here, but not as weak as I looked. I sort of staggered around a bit out there before he injected me with his knockout drug and …genetically engineered pickpocket you know." She smiled at Logan. "Can you do something with it?"

Logan was already pushing keys on the PDA that Max had stolen from the doctor. He looked up at her. "This has a satellite signal. I should be able to get something to Lydecker giving him our location, and then we hope he gets here before our friend is ready to proceed with Phase 3 of his nasty little experiment."

He looked at her for a moment. "If he comes in before the cavalry arrives, you need to pretend to still be sick. He wants you strong for the Zycinor. If he thinks you aren't quite recovered yet it should buy us some time."

"I'll do the best I can. I still feel pretty punk, so it won't be too hard. You better get to work on that thing before he figures out it's gone."

Logan was already back at work on the PDA.  Max relaxed and watched as he focused on it with that intensity that was so uniquely Logan. She'd seen it before when he was wrapped up in an Eyes Only investigation to the exclusion of everything else, sometimes to her annoyance. This time she found it reassuring.

After a while he put down the PDA and looked at her. 

"Well?" she wanted to know.

"I sent a message to Deck through the Manticore comm channels. We just have to hope that he gets it, and that he's got a team in place in Seattle already."

"Trust me. Not only is the team in Seattle, so is he. He was probably on his way as soon as he left that warning for you."

Logan was silent.

"What?"

"There's another problem we haven't talked about. Deck is the only chance we have to get out of here, but what happens when his team arrives?"

"You mean he might offer me another all expenses paid vacation back at Manticore?" Max met his eyes.

"We know he's back there, even though he doesn't know we know. What's to say he won't take this opportunity to bring in one of his kids? We don't know what kind of game he's playing, Max."

"Yeah. I know, Logan." 

They were silent as they contemplated the possibilities. Logan was staring off into space with a grim look on his face. He finally turned back to her and met her eyes. She was surprised to see the pain reflected in his. "It seems to be my fate to condemn the women I love to one kind of institution or another." 

"I don't want to die, Logan. Zycinor will kill me. You did the right thing, contacting Deck. If he takes me back there, you'll just have to get me out again." Max was matter of fact.

"That means I have to be free myself. What if his invitation extends to me as well? I can't do you any good locked up there with you." Logan didn't mention the very real possibility that Lydecker might simply kill him, once he had Max safely back in his hands. 

"When the Tac team gets here I'm going to create a diversion, Logan. You have to make sure you get away. Don't stop for me, don't wait for me. No matter what."

"Max…"

"You know you have to. I'll be okay because I'll know you're coming for me. Promise me that you'll get out. Please Logan." She stared him down, daring him to refuse.

"I promise." 

Max nodded and then scooted over on the examining table, making as much room as she could. "Hold me now. Please."

He was no proof against the look in her eyes, and he walked over and swung himself onto the table next to her, gathering her into his arms. He felt the slight trembling in her slender body. "Can I get you anything? There's still some juice left."

Max shook her head. "Just this. Just stay with me until…" She stopped knowing that whoever came first, be it the doctor or Lydecker, would present their own brand of mortal danger to one or both of them.

"I'm not going anywhere." 

**End of Chapter Ten**


	12. Chapter 11

**AS2.05: Viridae by Star24**

**Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._**

___________________________

**Chapter Eleven**

**Field HQ, Seattle**

The field headquarters was in a state of controlled chaos as the TAC team donned their gear and prepared to head out.

"TAC Team ready for deployment, sir." Lieutenant Cardoso stood in front of Colonel Lydecker.

"Give the word for them to move out and surround the location. You and I will follow in my vehicle. Under no circumstances are they to move in until we arrive and I give the word." Lydecker directed curtly. Cardoso saluted and within a matter of minutes the team was on its way.

Lydecker was waiting in the passenger seat of his vehicle as Cardoso climbed behind the wheel.  "I have a special assignment for you when we arrive Cardoso." Lydecker said.

"Yes sir. Whatever you say, sir."

"What I'm going to ask you to do, could get you court martialed if word ever gets out. If you aren't willing to take that risk, I want to know now." 

"Sir, I'm willing to do whatever you need me to." Lieutenant Cardoso stared straight ahead.

"Why?" Lydeckers asked bluntly. "Why are you so eager to throw your lot in with me when you have to know that much of what I'm doing is outside the lines?"

"Sir, I had a brother who worked under Director Renfro. He was an analytical chemist. He did some work for her, some experiments on blood taken from the X5s. He told me that the tests were unusual, that there was something strange going on. That was the last time I spoke to him."

"Why?"

"He told me he was delivering his latest results to Director Renfro.  I never spoke to him again. His body turned up with a bullet in the head outside some roadside dive."

"So he had a run in with some roadside scum. Unfortunately that's not unusual these days." Lydecker shrugged.

"No sir. The bullet was from a military issue weapon. And my brother didn't drink or hang out at those places. I believe he was killed by the Director because he knew too much about what she was doing. You took down the Director. So in my book that means I owe you one."

"The enemy of my enemy." Lydecker mused almost to himself. "Very well. If you're looking for vengeance, I can't promise you that you know. I don't really give a rat's ass about Renfro unless she gets in my way."

"I understand, sir. But I think she is going to get in your way someday, and I want to be there to help you take her down."

They had reached their destination and Cardoso pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. Before he opened the door to get out and confer with the TAC Team, Lydecker turned to him. "This is what I want you to do…"

**Jam Pony**

It was quitting time and Sketchy, Original Cindy, Sky, and several other messengers were closing up their lockers.

"What's up with Max?" Sketchy asked. "Thought sure she'd be here for this meeting."

"My homegirl got her own issues right now." Original Cindy hedged. She pushed aside her worries about Max. "She'll be with us when things go down. Don't you worry your tiny brain about that. Tonight's just the planning meeting anyways."

"If you say so." Sketchy said doubtfully. Original Cindy shot him a look and was about to blister him with a few choice words when Sky called out in delight.

"Blue!" 

Cindy turned to see Sky and Druid hugging the small blonde. She left Sketchy and hurried over to join them.

"Girl what you doin' out of bed? Didn't expect to be seein' you here so soon."

"Heard there was a meeting happening about takin' down those goons who worked me over. You think I was gonna lie around in bed and miss all the fun?" Blue's face was slightly swollen and the bruises on it were still evident, but her attitude was as tough as ever.

"You sure you not related to my homegirl?" Original Cindy asked her. ""Cause you sure nuff sound like her." Even though her words were said in jest, there was an underlying seriousness to her tone and she looked at Blue closely.

Blue returned an innocent look. "Nope. Ain't got no family that I know of. My mother was a crack addict who froze to death in a doorway when I was five, and even she had no clue who my father was. Some John she picked up to get the scrilla to feed the monkey on her back."

"Whatevah you say, girl." Cindy gave the blonde a gentle hug. "Anyways, good to see you back."

"We better get goin,'" Sky called from the doorway. "Meeting starts in twenty and it'll take all of that to walk over to CRASH."

**Office****Building****, ****Seattle******

Logan was pacing the room again. Time was running short and there had been no communication from Lydecker to let him know that his message had been received. He had transmitted it twice more at hourly intervals but he wanted to do more. The doctor had been in twice to check on Max, and Logan had a feeling that the next time he came he was going to take her away.

"Logan, he'll show up." Max said calmly from her seat on the table.

"It better be soon, because next time Dr. Mengele shows up he isn't going to believe that you're still sick. You look disgustingly healthy. I'm surprised he bought it last time he checked on you."

Max jumped down and walked over to him. "Calm down, Logan. Maybe it doesn't matter. I feel good. Strong. Maybe this time I can take him down before he pulls his little trick." 

"He's smart, Max. Insane but smart. He's not going to let you near him." Logan started to pace again.

"Where's Mr. Nothing Ever Rattles That Calm Exterior? This isn't like you, Logan." Max placed a hand on his arm, forcing him to stop pacing.

Logan stared down at her. "I'm helpless here, Max. Any minute that maniac is going to come back in here and inject you with a disease that'll kill you and I can't do anything to stop him.  And it's all my fault. If I'd been concentrating on this case instead of on Carly, I would have known it was a setup. I sent you here, and if he kills you, it's on me."

Max took his hands and stared into his eyes. "Logan, I came here of my own free will. And I was careless too. I let my emotions take over and as a result, I let him get the drop on me. It's like Deck always said. Emotions can kill you if you don't keep them under control.  I forgot about being a soldier and just wanted to kill him for what he did to my brothers and sisters. So it's on me just as much as it's on you."

Before Logan could reply, there was the sound of a key turning in the lock of the door and the door swung open. Dr Gertals stood there with a gun in one hand and a hypodermic needle in the other.

"Ah, so you've recovered my dear. Good to see. I was getting impatient to begin our most important work." He smiled at the two of them.

"She's not going with you this time." Logan said stepping in front of Max.

Gertals chuckled. "You're both coming with me. I need your help as well this time"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Max snarled stepping next to Logan.

"I've decided to use him as a control. Even if you succumb it will give me good data on how long you last and how your immune system works as compared to that of a normal human. Now come along. Everything is all setup for the two of you. And don't try to attack me 452. You may be able to dodge a bullet but your friend can't."

"So what? Maybe it's better if you shoot him and get it over with quickly. You think I want him to suffer through Zycinor? I've seen what it does." Max retorted. Logan could feel her muscles tensing next to him.

Before Max could move there was a dull thud behind Gertals. A cloud of  purplish smoke blossomed around the man.  He started to turn and then, as the smoke reached his face, he slumped to the floor.

"Logan, hold your breath." Max directed darting to the sink and soaking a paper towel in water. She placed it over her face and then handed one to Logan who took it and followed suit.

Without speaking Max grasped his hand and pulled him behind her over Gertals body. The hallway was filled with smoke.  As they stepped out of the room, the laser sights of a dozen tasers bathed both of their bodies in reddish lights. It was an eerie sight as the beams of red light cut through the swirling purplish smoke and the nightmarish figures in black loomed in the darkness.

"Don't move." 

Figures dressed in urban SWAT team gear and wearing gas masks stood at both ends of the hallway. They wore gas masks.  Max and Logan stood still.

The one in charge made a motion with his hand and another figure holding two masks hurried forward. "Put them on and follow me. Don't try anything funny 452 or the ordinary gets shot. I have three sharpshooters who aren't aiming tasers at him." 

Max nodded and took the masks from the floor where the second man had dropped them and then kicked them over to them. She handed one to Logan and put one on herself. She looked at Logan and her eyes telegraphed a message to him_. Remember what I said. When I create the diversion get out of here._

Logan nodded imperceptibly. 

"Move out." 

The two of them walked forward and past the squad leader who stepped well back to let them pass. In moments they were in the hallway outside of the doctor's office. The team started to form up around them. Before the leader could give the order to move, another man emerged from the stairwell. He was wearing a gas mask and fatigues instead of SWAT gear.

"What is it?" the team leader demanded.

"Colonel Lydecker sent me in to take charge of the prisoners personally." The man began to walk forward. As he did he came between the sharpshooters and Logan.

"Stop." The team leader cried out but it was too late. Max took her opportunity. In a blur of motion she spun and kicked and the semi-automatic weapons the men held went flying. At the same time Logan launched himself at the new arrival. He shoved him hard and he went careening into the SWAT team members who were holding the tasers. 

Max had made short work of the leader of the SWAT team and she turned and grabbed Logan's hand. "Come on." 

She dragged him into the open stairwell. Once inside she smashed the glass cabinet on the landing that held a fire hose and an ax. She pulled out the ax and wedged it so that the door to the stairwell was jammed closed. 

"That won't hold for long. We need to get out of here."

The two of them went headlong down the stairs. Logan prayed to himself that the exo wouldn't give out on him as he was dragged along in Max's wake. They reached the bottom in record time and Max looked briefly to be sure there were no sentries in the hallway and then pulled Logan out the back door of the building. The alley was deserted and her Ninja sat undisturbed where she had concealed it.  Within seconds they were roaring away, through the trash and litter.

As they reached the open street, Logan caught a glimpse of a black SUV with a man standing next to it.  In the gathering darkness he wasn't sure, but he could have sworn it was Donald Lydecker, and that he nodded his head slightly as they roared past. 

**End of Chapter Eleven**


	13. Chapter 12

AS2.05: Viridae by Star24

Disclaimer: _Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright 2001-2002 Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24._

****

__________________

Chapter Twelve

Max's Apartment

Logan followed Max as she wheeled her Ninja into the apartment. She turned from carefully parking her baby, to catch him looking at her.

"What?" she wanted to know.

"Interesting parking spot you have here." He deflected her question.

She shrugged. "Not everyone can live in a castle above it all, you know. The proletariat has to make do with what they can. The realities of life amongst the teeming masses. Blah blah, woof woof and all that."

"Max, knowing you has certainly brought me down to earth with a vengeance." He chuckled, trying to keep it light. 

Their eyes caught and held. Suddenly light wasn't what she wanted, so she waited him out, letting the silence stretch between them.

"That's not a bad thing you know," he finally said. His inflection made it almost a question.

"Because it's useful for Eyes Only to experience what he's dealing with first hand?" She prodded.

"Yeah…" He began to agree, but stopped himself at the look of disappointment that swiftly crossed her face. He held her eyes for a moment more and then he took a deep breath and plunged in. "I was thinking more along the lines that it's good for Logan Cale to get out from behind those walls he's so good at putting up between himself and other people, and to realize that he's only human. And… that he makes mistakes." 

A slow smile spread across Max's face. "To err is human…"

"…to forgive divine. So can you?"

"Can I what?"

"Forgive me for being an ass about things lately?" As they talked his eyes had gone from laughing to serious. Conversely the atmosphere in the room seemed lighter, as the tension that had been present between them since Logan had learned about Carly, began to dissipate.

"I think that might be arranged." Max felt suddenly lighthearted, despite the lingering weakness from Gertal's experiments. "Want something to drink?" She was halfway to the kitchen, when she felt her legs give way slightly.

Logan was at her side in an instant, supporting her and helping her over to her couch. "Are you okay?" 

She smiled at the concern in his voice. "I'll be fine. Just a little shaky still." Max was leaning back against the couch arm and Logan helped her swing her legs up so that she was stretched out on the couch. He crouched on the floor next to her holding one of her hands.

"Can I get you that drink?" he asked her.

"Now ain't this just the sweetest sight," a familiar voice drawled. Neither of them had noticed the door opening and Original Cindy entering. 

"It's not…" Max started to say as she flushed slightly.

"…what you think." Logan finished for her.

Cindy stood there with her hands on her hips. "And Original Cindy just came back from knockin' boots with a hot male stripper." She rolled her eyes at them. "Whatever you two gotta tell yourselves." She held up a hand to silence any protests and continued, "Missed you at the meeting tonight, boo."

"I was kind of under the weather." Max said by way of explanation.

"No matter. We met with Steel Wheels and Burnin' Rubber and they in on takin' down the Guild."

"The Guild has a lot of muscle." Max warned.

"Boo, we ain't got a choice."

"Well you know I'm in on what's goin' down." Max said.

Logan cleared his throat. "I think a friend of mine might be able to lend some assistance."

Max and Original Cindy exchanged glances, and Max shook her head slightly behind Logan's back.

"You wouldn't be talkin' about Mr. Eyes now, would ya?" Cindy asked.

"Let me see what he has to say. I'll let Max know tomorrow." Logan said.

"Sounds like a plan." Original Cindy agreed.

Logan reluctantly rose. "You gonna be okay?" He looked down at Max.

"Better than okay." 

Logan hesitated, but then he leaned in and dropped a swift hard kiss on Max's lips, ignoring the fact that Original Cindy made no move to look away.

"Nite, Max. I'll call you in the morning." He straightened up and turned to go.

Max smiled. "Nite, Logan."

When Logan reached the door he turned to Cindy. "Take care of my girl." Before she could answer, he was gone. 

Cindy looked at Max with raised eyebrows, but made no comment. Max yawned and slowly rose from the couch. "This little girl is going to get some sleep for once in her life. See ya in the morning." She headed toward her bedroom.

Cindy watched her leave and a knowing smile crossed her face. "Looks like you two finally startin' to step to the real, boo. It's about time." she murmured to herself as she headed off to find her own bed.

****

An Alleyway in Seattle, Next Afternoon

Blue rode her new bike slowly down the alleyway. She tried hard not to look back or from side to side as she rode. A voice spoke softly in her ear and she jumped slightly, not used to the earpiece she was wearing.

"Blue, are you okay?" said the husky male voice that seemed slightly familiar to her.

"Kind of nervous, but I'll be good." she whispered.

"Don't worry. Everyone's in place. All you have to do is to lead them out into the square. We'll do the rest. You're almost on them. Just follow the plan." She nodded forgetting that the voice couldn't see her. 

"Gotcha." She whispered belatedly. 

As she neared the exit of the alley it was déjà vu. Three huge men stepped out to block her path. She knew without looking that there were more behind her. Instead of slowing her bike to a stop, she kept on going.

"I think you better stop right there, bitch." One of the men growled. She recognized him as the one who had promised her "fun and games" next time they met, and a sudden burst of rage surged through her.

"I think not, asshole." She retorted. She pushed hard on her pedals giving her bike a burst of speed. As she came even with him she kicked out hard, catching him in the stomach. Her momentum kept her bike moving and in moments she was clearing the alleyway, hotly pursued by six thugs. 

They burst out into a busy square, a miniature version of South Market, filled with small stalls selling a variety of merchandise, and populated with a fair number of people. The thugs ignored the crowds and one of them grabbed her handlebars, pulling her bike to a halt.

"Go about your business if you don't want to feel the hurt." One of them threatened the bystanders.

All six of them surrounded, Blue. One of them pulled her off her bike. "You're a dumb bitch aren't you? Thought you'd a learned last time."

"I'd say you're the dumb ones. Not her." A voice rang out. The thugs turned. Max and Original Cindy stood side by side staring at them.

"Aw look, two of her little friends came to join the party," said one of the thugs with a leer.

"Why don't we take em all back with us and have some real fun?" A third started toward Max and Cindy, who stood their ground. 

"They aren't going anywhere." A man's voice rang out and they turned to see a group of male bike messengers including Sketchy, Herbal and Druid, as well as some from the other services, standing opposite where Max and Cindy stood. 

"The bike pansies wanna play tough," laughed one of the thugs. "Get 'em guys."

The six men charged, two heading for Max and Original Cindy, and the others going after the males. As if by magic, more bike messengers appeared from behind the stalls, and out of doorways. 

Max stood at the ready, but let the others handle the men when it became evident that they had them well outnumbered. It was over in minutes, and the six men were on the ground, surrounded by angry bike messengers. There was the sound of sirens and Sector Police began to converge on the area, accompanied by a hoverdrone or two. Max ducked back under the cover of a stall and watched from a safe distance.

As the police arrived, several television screens that were sitting on the stalls came to life with a familiar red, white and blue banner. 

"_Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a Streaming Freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly 60 seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city_. 

The eyes in the picture morphed into an overhead shot of the square, showing the thugs on the ground surrounded by messengers and police.

**__**

The video you are watching comes to you live from Seattle Police hoverdrones in Turner Square. In past weeks, hard working members of Seattle's bike messenger community have been terrorized by thugs calling themselves the Guild, who have demanded blood money in return for allowing these citizens to make an honest living. Eyes Only has obtained information that the Guild is being run by Hubert Marelson, none other than the postmaster general of our fair city. Marelson has been living high on the hog with the money he has been extorting from innocent, hard working citizens. Today, Seattle's bike messengers have spoken up and fought back, proving that the people of Seattle do have a voice in what happens here. The Guild is no more and Mr. Marelson will soon be seeing the inside of a jail cell. This has been an Eyes Only Streaming Freedom video bulletin. Peace. Out."

The televisions fritzed back to normal programming. The messengers let out a cheer and slapped high fives on each other, as the Sector Policy made short work of cuffing the Guild enforcers and taking them away**_. _** Cindy looked over to where Max was standing and sent her a thumbs up.

Within moments the Square was back to normal as the messengers dispersed to head out on their runs. Max was about to climb onto her own bike, when her cell phone rang.

"Hey you," she answered. "Very cool hacking into the hoverdrone feed."

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. "I thought it added a nice touch. You gonna come over for dinner tonight?"

"Depends."  
  
"Depends on what?"

"What's for dinner?" she teased.

"Just a minor culinary miracle."

Max laughed, "How can I pass that up? There aren't too many miracles in this broken world."

"Eight O'clock?"

"I'll be there." She snapped her cell phone closed and was off.

****

Epilogue, The Space Needle

Max stood on the Space Needle, looking down on Seattle. Below her lights began to wink on in the growing darkness.

"_So here I am, still standing after another run in with one of Manticore's finest. The irony of it all is that it was my personal anti-Christ himself who bailed me and Logan out this time around. That getaway was a set up if I ever saw one. The Colonel wants something from us and the tricky part is going to be figuring out what it is. But I think we can do it. Together. _

Bad as this all was, I think Logan and I might just make it because of it. Maybe we got past something. And maybe he's gonna be able to figure out a way to live with Carly and what happened. So that puts it on me to figure out how to live with my ghosts. 

He called me his girl. In front of OC. Coming from Logan that's major. Maybe that's why I'm kinda nervous about going over there. OC would call it being girly. Imagine that, a genetically engineered killing machine acting like a normal girl. But enough of that. Take a breath Max, and get your ass moving; you faced live ordinance drills, you can face this…

****

End of Viridae

Coming soon… AS 2.06 

Mayhem ensues as a priceless manuscript goes missing, and Logan enlists Max to chase it down as a favor for the author. Sketchy gets himself in hot water when he tries to pursue a new career.


End file.
